econline

2013. A6 3.0 Prestige 18,000 mi.

When temp is below 30 degrees I get a severe clunking and banging noise over bumps coming from the rear suspension. It feels and sounds like the rear struts are going to come right through the back seat. There is nothing in the trunk and the clunk goes away when temp. Goes above freezing.
Quite embarrassing for a $60,000 car.
Brought to dealer (of course the temp was 48 degrees that day) and they say all is well - bring it back when we can duplicate it (sigh).
Dealer states the TSB for the c-pillar "click/creak" (upper shock mounts) does not fit the description of this issue.
So instead of checking further I just get the car back with the above instructions. Very frustrating.
Just because you can't duplicate it under perfect conditions does not mean there is not a problem.

So - I have a car with a creaking steering column in the summer and a clunking rear end in the winter.

Time to unload this thing I'm afraid.

Any thoughts/similar issues or resolutions ?

Grapeking

Have you checked to ensure the spare tire is snugged down really tight? In the old C5 A6 this was a fairly common issue.
Also, in the C7 the jack/etc are held down by the spare tire, so check to ensure those are in the right place.

tenspeed

I would suspect that there is a little slop in the shock mounting hardware. When the shocks are cold, the oil inside is thicker and it is absorbing changes slower. If it is bad mounts, that others have reported, it will make noise all the time.

Put it on ramps and have some someone bounce the car while you hold onto the shock. If it's loose, you'll feel it.

econline

Yes -everything is tight in the spare tire well.

econline

I agree with your analysis. Isn't this what professional Audi technicians would do to look for such a thing ? Maybe I just need a new dealer.

tenspeed

Perhaps you should have a independant shop mechanic look at it.

The dealer and his technicians want to sell parts more than perform warranty work. It shouldn't take much shop time for a mechanic to put the car on a lift, wiggle & jiggle all the suspension parts and determine what's loose. Wear some old clothes and get under there to see for yourself (if the shop allows it).

q5q7

this looks like Mike_L's problem?

Mike_L

Not really. Mine wasn't clunking. Its was more like a clicking. Ended up being a shock bushing.